Something I noticed about our front 3

[Modo]

Just compared some stats from 2017/18 and last season and I've noticed a significant drop in goals scored from our front 3.
It was kind of expected with Salah but Firmino went from scoring 27 goals last season to scoring 16 this season.

Salah dropped from 44 to 27 goals.

Mane improved, from 20 goals to 26 goals.

Looking at the assists, it's been a drop there too.

Mane went from 8 to 2 assists

Firmino went from 14 to 7 assists

Salah went from 14 to 10 assists

In all competitions. Got the stats from ESPN FC.

Anyway, whats the underlying reason for this "significant" change?

A change in style? Goals and assists being spread around?

 

[bluebell]

Overall goals scored from previous seasons improved by 5. Full backs took the responsibility of providing the bulk of the assists. Salah was a far greedier and wasteful this year

 

[My_Blood_Bleeds_Red]

Modo do you have the stats of our defense please ?

 

[Modo]

Modo do you have the stats of our defense please ?

Oh sorry, I'm at work. Can't do any more flaking...

 

[manwithnoname]

Just compared some stats from 2017/18 and last season and I've noticed a significant drop in goals scored from our front 3.
It was kind of expected with Salah but Firmino went from scoring 27 goals last season to scoring 16 this season.

Salah dropped from 44 to 27 goals.

Mane improved, from 20 goals to 26 goals.

Looking at the assists, it's been a drop there too.

Mane went from 8 to 2 assists

Firmino went from 14 to 7 assists

Salah went from 14 to 10 assists

In all competitions. Got the stats from ESPN FC.

Anyway, whats the underlying reason for this "significant" change?

A change in style? Goals and assists being spread around?

Nobody expected Salah to repeat the incredible goalscoring heroics from last season, so that's just a bit of normalisation. Mane's improvements are also not really surprising in terms of goals.

Firmino's previous season was also an outlier, and this season saw him back at more normal levels, 10-12 league goals.

I think the assists is probably more to do with the width and quality that we now rely on with Robbo and TAA, but there has been a more controlled and less frenetic approach to our football, which will have impacted goals scored and how much attacking we do maybe?

Whatever it is, we had a fantastic season, even with reduced goals overall from those three.

 

[Modo]

Nobody expected Salah to repeat the incredible goalscoring heroics from last season, so that's just a bit of normalisation. Mane's improvements are also not really surprising in terms of goals.

Firmino's previous season was also an outlier, and this season saw him back at more normal levels, 10-12 league goals.

I think the assists is probably more to do with the width and quality that we now rely on with Robbo and TAA, but there has been a more controlled and less frenetic approach to our football, which will have impacted goals scored and how much attacking we do maybe?

Whatever it is, we had a fantastic season, even with reduced goals overall from those three.

Can't disagree with any of that and come to think of it, maybe getting knocked out early from the two domestic cup competitions also explains the lack of goals.

 

[Dreambeliever]

It’s because we changed our style of play. More of a slow build up.

 

[manwithnoname]

Can't disagree with any of that and come to think of it, maybe getting knocked out early from the two domestic cup competitions also explains the lack of goals.

Yeah, and it's hard to be critical of 97 points, one defeat and winning the European Cup for the 6th time.

What I do worry about is that there seems to be...it's not complacency as such, but a lack of desire to strive and improve the squad with a couple of big signings. That way is not how to win a title, because as amazing as last season was, we still need to improve and have more top quality squad options.

But I suppose as long as we have two reliable 20-ish league goalscorers in Salah and Mane, that should be enough, much as I'd like another striker and CAM player too.

 

[Modo]

Yeah, and it's hard to be critical of 97 points, one defeat and winning the European Cup for the 6th time.

What I do worry about is that there seems to be...it's not complacency as such, but a lack of desire to strive and improve the squad with a couple of big signings. That way is not how to win a title, because as amazing as last season was, we still need to improve and have more top quality squad options.

But I suppose as long as we have two reliable 20-ish league goalscorers in Salah and Mane, that should be enough, much as I'd like another striker and CAM player too.

City won the league because they have exactly that. Strength in depth. We don't. Well we didn't last season , now we've got Ox, but it's not enough.
Sturridge and Lallana both underperforming didn't help either.
All this while City had Gundogan, Mahrez, Sane and Jesus on the bench.

 

[ibromurph]

I don't think we need a CAM at all with AOC now back, Lallana looking like he's going to stay, Henderson now an 8 and Keita expected to contribute more.

We need an alternative for the front 3 for sure (which is why I liked the idea of a Pepe/Son type signed; someone to play on the wing and up top if necessary).

And we need 2 top class FB cover. Considering that's where most of our assists came from, and where we dropped points (the games that TAA was out).

Apart from that, as long as no one else leaves, we're well stocked.

--

As for the thread. DB said it best. We are no long involved in end-to-end basketball games. We were a lot more controlled in our build up this season. A lot more patient. Which helped us save legs towards the end of the season. And also meant the front 3 had to score a lot less counter attacking goals, and a lot more poacher-type efforts. Often from crosses from our FBs.

Jurgen Klopp actually adapted our style and we played a lot more like Real Madrid, where there FBs created the numbers going forward and wide forwards pushed in more. Our attacking shape with the ball sometimes resembled a 2-3-5.

 

[LeTallecWiz]

And we need 2 top class FB cover.

How is that doable if those players coming abroad will know, "Mate, 8-10 games a year at most"

 

[My_Blood_Bleeds_Red]

Has everyone suddenly forgotten about our much improved awesome defence ???

Surely thats a key factor why our front three's numbers have dropped and probably also why we achieved the highest league points, and oh won a CL as a bonus too. Surely ?!

 

[manwithnoname]

Has everyone suddenly forgotten about our much improved awesome defence ???

No, of course not.

Like I said, it's hard to be critical.

Klopp has done almost everything I wanted:

Buy a new goalkeeper (who wasn't shit): YEP (eventually)
Buy a brilliant CB: YEP
Buy a Defensive Midfielder: YEP
Ensure we have at least one reliable 20+ goals attacker: YEP
Build a playing style that wasn't just "Frantic Attack" and enable a slower, more defensive shape when required: YEP

So what's left? Keep improving the squad, a more creative CAM player (with Keita not proving enough so far), and a striker.

 

[ibromurph]

How is that doable if those players coming abroad will know, "Mate, 8-10 games a year at most"

If we plan on going deep in all the competitions, there are plenty enough games to rotate.



The ideal scenario is we get a younger version of Milner/Zambrotta, capable of playing on both right and left (and providing world class delivery). And thus we'd only need 1 FB, as opposed to 2.

 

[My_Blood_Bleeds_Red]

I'm confident that Keita will step up and come good eventually.

 

[Farkmaster]

We didn't play anywhere near as fluid attacking football, and frequently didn't create that much in a game, but won anyway.

Some of that is rebalancing to a much less aggressive style, but I'm hoping klopp knows that there are still significant flaws with this team, and that our points total was an overperformance.

 

[manwithnoname]

We didn't play anywhere near as fluid attacking football, and frequently didn't create that much in a game, but won anyway.

Some of that is rebalancing to a much less aggressive style, but I'm hoping klopp knows that there are still significant flaws with this team, and that our points total was an overperformance.

Yep, all this

 

[Delinquent]

Just compared some stats from 2017/18 and last season and I've noticed a significant drop in goals scored from our front 3.
It was kind of expected with Salah but Firmino went from scoring 27 goals last season to scoring 16 this season.

Salah dropped from 44 to 27 goals.

Mane improved, from 20 goals to 26 goals.

Looking at the assists, it's been a drop there too.

Mane went from 8 to 2 assists

Firmino went from 14 to 7 assists

Salah went from 14 to 10 assists

In all competitions. Got the stats from ESPN FC.

Anyway, whats the underlying reason for this "significant" change?

A change in style? Goals and assists being spread around?

It would appear that the less prolific seasons for Salah and Firmino would largely account for the drop in assists. Given the amount the front three create for each other, I daresay the assist figures amongst them would be significantly improved if Salah and Firmino had their shooting boots on. In any case, I'd suggest this season is more realistic as a benchmark than last season.